1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to exercise devices and, more particularly, to such a device worn by a user for flexing the user""s upper body muscles, for example, the muscles in the shoulders, hips, upper arms, lower arms, upper legs, lower legs, ankles and wrists.
2. Background Art
Tolle U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,705 discloses an athletic device for the upper body, including a vest, and a elastically expandable strap fastened in place in an X-configuration across a back part of the vest and extended over the user""s shoulders to terminate with two lower arm or wrist cuffs.
Kuhl U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,439 discloses a resilient exercise apparatus including a pair of loops made of a single length of elastic cord to form generally figure eight shape, and mounted over the shoulders and around the waist of the user, with a tubular handle mounted on each front and side sections of the cord.
Karlik U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,441 discloses an exercise devise including a frame for mounting on the back or chest of a user via upper and lower belts, three springs and a plurality of pulleys on the frame to accommodate a flexible cord with two stirrups.
British patent number 245,274 discloses an exercise device including a belt adapted to be secured around the waist or to be hung over the shoulders of the user, with elastic cords attached via springs to the belt, with hand grips at the ends thereof.
Exercise devices associated with waist belts and hand grips and/or wrist cuffs are shown and described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: Davies U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,688; Hagerman et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,671; Hopkins U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,173; Bosch U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,707; Kupperman et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,752; Rawlings U.S. Pat. No. 2,035,010; and Blake U.S. Pat. No. 1,432,013; and British patent number 20,463.
Each of Bastyr et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,303; Delbert U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,831 and Nebolon U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,449 disclose orthopedic braces hinged at the knee joint of the wearer for free but adjustably limited knee movement. Gildersleeve U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,547 discloses an orthopedic brace having medial and lateral knee hinges, with pneumatic pads for positioning against the body of a user. Mason et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,500 discloses an discloses an athletic knee protector with upper and lower leaf spring members interconnected by gear teeth pivotally engaged between a pair of plates.
A general object of the invention is to provide an improved exercise device worn by a user to exercise body parts, such as muscles, adjacent his or her shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, elbow and/or wrist joints.
Another object of the invention is to provide such exercise devices, which utilize upper and lower extensions with an intermediate damper for use on body parts straddling various body joints.
A further object of the invention is to provide an alternate exercise is arrangement including a pulley and rubber bands in lieu of a damper for use adjacent various body joints.
These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent when reference is made to the following drawings and the accompanying description.